With so much discussion on self driving taxis and cars, we are surely heading towards a driverless future. The day is not far when we will have cars, but no drivers. Just how many years, this will take will depend on how fast we can adapt to the change. But the first steps towards it are already been taken by companies like Uber who are all set to start self driving taxis in Pittsburgh.
Car manufacturers are coming out with futuristic models that will spearhead the green movement in the coming years. Here are seven of those models you definitely need to look out for in the near future.
The current situation of the planet from its environment point of view is not what we all want or expect. Global temperatures are steadily rising and the polar ice caps are constantly melting, giving way to a range of crisis right from climate change to water scarcity. One of the biggest contributors to global warming is transportation. Cars in all parts of the world are consuming billions of gallons of fuel and emitting large quantities of toxic gases in the process. The best, but not the perfect way around all this trouble is the electric car revolution.
At a time when we are talking about sustainability in almost all aspects of life in order to reach a greener future, we also need to consider the needs and prospects of bringing sustainability in the field of transportation. Does transport have a sustainable future? If yes, then how to go about it? Let us try to seek answers to these thoughts here.
The concept of green transportation is not new but recently it has become more popular. People have come to understand the benefits of green transportation and realized its importance. Green transportation is necessary because it can reduce the amount of global carbon emissions. Carbon dioxide is one of the main pollutants that are responsible for climatic changes. Cars, buses and airplanes use fossil fuels.
Green electric bicycles are innovative and they seem to possess the power of changing the way we commute. Almost all vehicles use non-renewable fuels. Whenever fossil fuels are burnt harmful carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide are produced. These gases mix with the environment and pollute the atmosphere of earth. The more we use fossil fuel powered vehicles the more pollutants will mix with the air.
Hybrid buses: transport of the future?
Centuries after the industrial development started and promised to establish the undeniable superiority of human beings over other living organisms that share the biosphere, we stand at a point where the earth’s atmosphere and biosphere is being degraded at an alarming rate by human activities. So much so that we may be heading towards a point of no return and destroy our home with our own hands. As a result, many international conventions and conferences are being held worldwide to discuss the serious issues related to activities leading to environmental degradation. In support of an international effort to bring about responsible consumerism and sustainable development, nineteen new environmental hybrid buses are to be added to Stagecoach’s fleet in South Yorkshire.
About Stagecoach
Stagecoach Group is an international transport group which operates buses, trains, trams, express coaches and ferries in the United Kingdom and North America. The group, based in Perth, Scotland, was founded in 1980 by the current chairman, Sir Brian Souter, his sister, Ann Gloag, and her former husband Robin.
Stagecoach’s initiative to achieve a cleaner environment
Stagecoach’s hybrid buses have fifty per cent less emission.With the introduction of these hybrid buses, Stagecoach hopes to achieve a reduction in fuel consumption which will lead to the reduction in emission of greenhouse gases and cancer and other disease causing agents released during the burning of petrol and diesel. The authorities in South Yorkshire are pleased that one of the country’s leading bus companies has decided to invest on hybrid buses which reduces the demand of oil as well as emits less harmful substances in the environment.
Operation of Stagecoach’s hybrid buses
These hybrid buses are equipped with a smaller internal combustion diesel engine than the standard size, coupled with anelectric motor. At any point, the bus can be operated on either the diesel engine or the electric motor or both at the same time. When the bus breaks, the kinetic energy from the breaking motion is stored in the electric motor as potential energy. This potential energy is then utilised to run the bus when the bus starts. The parallel technology in the engine ensures that the diesel engine stops operating when the bus stops and is then later restarted using the electric motor only. The diesel engine then takes over the electric engine again when the speed is reached between fifteen kilometres per hour to twenty kilometres per hour.
Although these buses are somewhat more expensive than the mainstream buses that run on diesel or petrol, the substantial saving of energy can ensure that payback on the greater investment cost is achieved within five to seven years depending on the price of diesel.
Go Green
The main objective of achieving a cleaner environment cannot be completed without public participation and support which includes daily commuters and bus drivers. Commuters should be encouraged to take the hybrid buses which are not only environment friendlier but also much more comfortable than buses operated on diesel fuel. Bus drivers should be educated and encouraged to drive with their foot on the brake pedals more often as it would charge up the battery. Authorities should be encouraged to invest on research facilities to develop the hybrid technology and decrease the fuel consumption further by developing and integrating more powerful electric motors in hybrid buses. Improved business plans should be charted to reduce repair and maintenance cost so that the breakeven point can be reached within a shorter period of time. Media can important role by promoting these buses and educating people about the environmental benefits of Stagecoach’s hybrid buses. With the support of the hybrid technology, these buses promise to take over the market in a major scale in the near future and ensure we leave a cleaner environment for generations to come.
Each day, millions of commuters pile on roads to get to work. Not only does this clog up the roadways, it also adds many metric tonnes of emissions to our environment every day. Even though a lot of people cannot afford to give up their cars to save the planet, there are ways in which the daily commute to work can be made more planet friendly.
For folks who have been raised on a ‘car culture’, trying to get to work using public transportation may come as something of a culture shock. However, most towns and cities around the world have functional and comfortable public transportation systems that connect to major locations around a city or even its outskirts. Commuting to work using public transportation not only helps you shave major chunks off your carbon footprint, it also gives you the time to unwind before and after work and you can use the spare time to read a book, add finishing touches to presentations or even catch up on your sleep if your commute is long and you don’t have to change trains/trams/buses on route.
Since traveling to and from work is the single biggest contributor to carbon emissions produced by the general public, the best possible way to reduce your personal emissions load would be to skip commute altogether. If you have a particularly long commute, you can always ask your company to allow you to telecommute and work from home full-time or for a few weeks every year. You can also skip traveling to attend meetings and ask for teleconferences to save yourself a lot of time, money and carbon emissions. In fact, in countries like UK, more than 4.2 million people work from home. Then why this can’t be made possible in other countries too?
If you cannot avoid commuting to work in a car, try your best to get into a carpool. Not only will this allow you to squeeze into the carpool lane and beat traffic, it will also help you, your friends and colleagues reduce carbon emissions.
If you absolutely cannot stand sharing your personal space with others and don’t have any other option but to take your car to office, then you must consider investing in a hybrid or all-electric car. Not only do these vehicles help you reduce your emissions, they may also help you get premium parking space and save tones on money on taxes.
Another easy way to reduce the amount of fuel you burn and CO2 you emit during your daily commute is to use a two-wheeler. Unless you decide to get yourself a superbike or a fuel guzzling chopper, a two-wheeler could be the perfect alternative to a single person car commute.
For people who live within a reasonable distance from their offices, biking, jogging, walking or skateboarding to work could be just the fun alternative to taking a car, cab or using public transportation. Apart from being a zero-emissions commute options, biking, jogging, walking or skateboarding to work could also help you save money on hefty gym subscriptions.
Environment consciousness is setting in at a great pace. This is clearly evident with the maximum conversion of transport vehicles into electricity based models. As every coin has two sides, even converting all transport utilities to electric powered models would not be too feasible. In order to overcome this situation, companies have brought about the use of solar energy. By creating electric vehicle charging units, and in turn powering them with solar energy, the companies have played their smart cards right into the hands of the consumers. The use of solar energy would not only energize the car batteries, but also ensure emission free commuting. Here is a list of the 10 such charging stations which will juice up your vehicles in a clean and green manner.
The day is not far when electric cars will rule the roads across the globe. These cars are still in their nascent stage; however, their future looks quite promising. There are people around the world who have changed their lifestyles and started to go green. Electric cars tend to be less harsh towards environment and so their popularity is on the rise. Described below are five electric cars made by some green enthusiasts.